ADAC NEC: Freitag and Georgi secure best places on grid in season opener

• Silverstone hosts first ADAC Northern Europe Cup race weekend
• Philipp Freitag posts best time in qualifying in Standard class
• Tim Georgi takes fastest lap in GP category

Silverstone: The ADAC Northern Europe Cup (ADAC NEC) is lining up this weekend for the start of its inaugural season under the banner of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship. After practice, the ADAC NEC riders took part in the first 25-minute qualifying session on Friday afternoon alongside the British GP Moto3 series. The second timed practice session was staged on Saturday morning.

After two exciting 55-minute qualifying sessions, Philipp Freitag (18, DEU) posted the fastest lap time of 2:24.196 minutes in the standard class and will start behind the nine GP riders in tenth position. Oliver König (14, CZE) came home 0.869 seconds behind the leader, while Manou Antweiler (20, DEU), Sasha De Vits (14, BEL) and Matthias Meggle (15, DEU) completed the Top Five in the standard class.

Tim Georgi (15, DEU) clinched the best grid position in the GP class by posting best time of anyone – 2:23.509 minutes. The ADAC Sports Foundation protégé will line up in eighth position on the grid. Dennis Koopman (18, NED) took second place in the GP category from Jason Dupasquier (14, SUI). Maximilian Kofler (15, AUT) will start as the fourth-fastest GP rider, while Ernst Dubbink (27, NED) secured fifth place.

The weather played a major role from the word go on Friday. Practice started early in the morning on a drying track and was marked by low temperatures and rain. The 5.901-kilometre circuit dried out completely during the first quali, allowing lap times to gradually improve.

The track was wet again for the second qualifying on Saturday after overnight rain, so the lap times from the first qualifying determined the starting grid for the first race. The grid for the second race of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship is traditionally decided on the basis of the fastest lap times from the first race.

The season's first race begins on Saturday at 15:30 local time (16:30 CET). ADAC Northern Europe Cup riders will line up on Silverstone's grand prix circuit for the second race at 14:55 (15:55 CET) after a brief warm-up on Sunday at 9:55 PM.

Comments from the leaders

Philipp Freitag (18, DEU), fastest, ADAC NEC Standard:
“Conditions were rather tough in free practice, and we looked the track over initially. Besides, we were on slicks, so I was a little more cautious. The track is long and very fluid. The GP circuit is also very wide and you can really take the kerbs properly. I enjoy that a lot. The first qualifying session produced the best conditions of the weekend so far. Grip was not brilliant, but it was dry, and temperatures were okay. I went out at the start and closed on some GP riders. I took a good look at the track, chose my lines and covered three or four laps, steadily improving all the time. I felt really good on my bike, but then I made a small mistake and came off, which stopped me from improving my lap time. I thought then that I'd thrown away pole position, but my time ultimately proved good enough in the dying minutes of the session. I was very pleased about that. Things went very well in the second rain-hit qualifying. We focused more on tweaking chassis settings than on posting hot times, which worked quite well, I think.”

Tim Georgi (15, DEU), fastest, ADAC NEC GP:
“Friday was a bit tough. I had to get to know the track first, as I've never ridden here before, and we had to work on setup at the same time. Also, I've got quite a bad cold and don't feel 100 per cent my best at the moment. The track was dry for the first qualifying session, but we made a bit of a mistake with the gearing and finished in eighth place behind the British GP riders. Things went much better in the second rain-affected qualifying. Our setup was perfect, the gearing was perfect. Everything was dead right, and we were in the lead. I found a good rhythm. We're very pleased, especially as this is our first time here. We feel optimistic about the race, and I think we can be up there with the leaders both in the dry and in the wet. We'll do our best. My team have done a great job.”